Nat'l Ad Agency Taps Cultural Trends for Brand Marketing

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Inspiration from the influences that impact brands has led to major changes in the way a 33-year-old Houston-based agency does business. The Company of Others, formerly FKM, officially launched a new brand identity and pioneering agency approach that connects cultural influences and big brands through formalized Alliances.

“We are excited to unveil The Company of Others to better tell the story of who we are and what we do,” says Jose Lozano, chief executive officer, The Company of Others. “We’re changing the trajectory of culture by helping brands live and think ahead of trend and anticipate where mass audiences will head so they can innovate accordingly.”

The agency’s alliances enable marketers to quickly tap into and uncover insights into culture from the people who are creating it, in fields ranging from food and fashion to music and publishing. This trendsetter and expert insight expedites the research process and enables real-time account planning.

“We connect brands with culture creators to create immediate opportunity and future relevance,” says Scott Brown, president and chief creative officer, The Company of Others. “By constantly learning from and collaborating with brands and innovators, we not only uncover ideas that will intersect with consumers in the future, we also benefit alliance members by giving their concepts scale.”

The model has already proven successful within the food and beverage industry through the agency’s Palate Alliance, launched in 2012, which features prominent chefs, world-renowned sommeliers and some of the most well respected mixologists in the industry. The offering instantly garnered industry attention, resulting in initiatives with two large food brands. One project, a Louis and Clark-type expedition into food and drink micro-cultures across the country, resulted in more than 400 innovation opportunities, which will find their way to mass audiences in the coming years.

The Company of Others’ ability to help cultural influencers find a mass market for their ideas through the extensive reach of big brands has been beneficial in attracting alliance members, which currently include experts ranging from a men’s fashion stylist for W, GQ, and Vogue to a singer-songwriter in Nashville as well as one of the top Instagrammers in the world.

Insights from these influencers have been integrated into all existing agency practice areas including marketing and advertising, media buying, digital strategy and innovation, public relations, social media, trend forecasting, account planning, and influencer programs.

The Company of Others is led by Brown, Lozano, Bryan Gaskill, chief strategy officer, and Kyle Allen, media director, who acquired the agency from its founders in 2011, and made sweeping changes to the agency’s product and processes. In the past 18 months, the group has driven a 30 percent increase in agency revenue by securing at least five new major accounts in addition to organic account growth. The rapid The Company of Others Launches growth in business, along with significant strategic investments in talent from across the country, has spurred a 40 percent increase in agency staff since the leadership team took the helm. In addition to the upward trajectory in revenues, the agency has won national awards for its work including an OMMA Award for Creativity in Digital Marketing in 2012.

In addition to its headquarters in Houston, The Company of Others also has offices in Dallas, Austin and New York City and alliance presence across the country.